Following the one-year anniversary of when the European Union granted approval for the marketing of steviolglycosides, Wild Flavors has noted positive interim results.

"We were perfectly prepared for the large demand, and we managed to launch the first products very quickly in places like Scandinavia and central Europe," says Silke Ortmann, product manager of sweetener systems at Wild Flavors. "More and more food and beverage manufacturers in Germany as well have been asking us about stevia over the course of the past year. There is great interest throughout Europe,” he adds.

Wild cited the success of stevia-sweetened products including near waters, tea beverages, carbonated soft drinks as well as hard caramels, chewing gums and chocolate products. Wild's portfolio features different kinds of reb-A, depending on the customer specification and market demand. It also includes taste modifiers. For example, the company's "taste optimization technology" offsets the licorice-like and somewhat bitter aftertaste of stevia; "Fruit Up" rounds out the flavor profile of a finished product. In addition to Sunwin Stevia, the company has also developed a stevia table-top sweetener in powdered form containing 60% rebaudioside A, which is known for its particularly good sensory properties, and can be processed in different forms such as tablets, powder or cubes.